Super Rugby Round 11 Brumbies' struggles expose wider Aussie problem

It was an historic weekend for Argentine rugby as the Jaguares notched their maiden victory over a New Zealand franchise with a gutsy 20-13 triumph over the injury-hit Blues in Auckland. The Jaguares trailed 13-5 at the break but they mastered the horrendous playing conditions after the break to make it three from three on their Australasian tour.

But easily the biggest shock of the weekend came just before that match as the Reds stunned the Lions at Suncorp Stadium. The Queenslanders produced a superb first half to lead 24-0 at the break, and did just enough in the second 40 to hold on for their fourth win of the season.

Elsewhere, there were wins for the Hurricanes, Brumbies, Highlanders and Stormers.

Australian Conference

Brumbies' shortcoming expose wider Aussie problem

It was another depressing evening of viewing for fans of the Brumbies - and Australian rugby supporters on the whole - as the two-time champions missed a golden opportunity to take down the Crusaders.

In what was Sam Carter's 100th Brumbies start, the ACT franchise got off to the perfect start when Henry Speight crossed after just two minutes. But a yellow card to fellow winger Chance Peni soon swung the momentum the Crusaders' way and the defending champions ran in three tries in 12 minutes to open up a 21-8 halftime lead.

Much of the second half was played deep inside the Crusaders' 22 as the Brumbies pummelled the New Zealanders' line with wave after wave of attack. Having continually thwarted the hosts' attempts to score, the Crusaders were eventually reduced to 14, and then 13, men as referee Jaco Peyper lost patience with persistent offside, breakdown and set-piece infringements.

With Scott Barrett and Ryan Crotty in the sin bin, the Brumbies were gifted a serene pass back into the match. But they were unable to find the line, the Brumbies instead making some of the most bone-headed, inexplicable decisions you're ever likely to see when playing against 13 men.

Firstly, there was the decision to send Henry Speight on a solo mission down the short side - despite having a clear one-man advantage on the open - making him easy fodder for the Crusaders' back-row. Soon after, the Brumbies were awarded a scrum penalty; but rather than push for another penalty and potentially a penalty-try, they called for a lineout.

The final embarrassment came after the Crusaders had managed to clear back beyond halfway. Needing to retain possession and move back up field, Brumbies fly-half Wharenui Hawera attempted a cross-kick for his outside backs but it was poorly executed and easily negotiated by the Crusaders.

The entire sequence was a lesson in what not to do when playing against reduced opposition. But what is more concerning is that it has hardly been an isolated theme across the four Australian franchises this season. The Reds, Rebels and Waratahs -- the latter most recently in their 28-0 loss to the Lions in Round 10 -- have all, at times, struggled with game management. Call it what you like, but "rugby IQ" is in short supply across Australian rugby.

"The one thing that our Australian teams want to go to all the time, is to set-piece; they don't want to play the game," former Wallabies utility Rod Kafer said during Fox Sports' post-game coverage.

"You've seen there, two guys in the bin, you know the clock's ticking, you don't want to go scrum; you don't want to have the first scrum and then get a penalty and then go to a lineout. Why do that? Either go scrum, scrum, scrum and have a crack or five [metres] out from the line, tap the ball and let's rumble; get the forward pack excited and you'll find space just getting the ball in play. If you pull it into set-piece, the space disappears; it's a lack of understanding about the core fundamentals of how you win games of rugby.

"We talk about heads-up rugby, we talk about having an understanding of how we want to play, yet we're not a country who wants to play heads-up rugby. We want to go to structure. We hear our people talk about it all the time: structure, structure, structure. It's not working for us."

Kafer's comments were right on the money, but the bigger question is: what is he doing about the situation to alter the outcomes? As Australia's director of elite coaching development, surely he should be instructing Australia's top coaches to move away from this "structure first" approach. And he should be working with national skills coach Mick Byrne so Australia's leading players, particularly the country's playmakers, are equipped with the tools to play "heads up rugby".

Fortunately for Rugby Australia and the Wallabies, there was evidence that there may be at least some rugby IQ in the Australian game in the Reds' 25-22 win over the Lions earlier on Saturday. Young-fly half Hamish Stewart had a solid game while it was the Smith Show up front as South African-born twins Ruan and JP, and Wallabies great George Smith, enjoyed superb games.

If Australian rugby wants to improve its "rugby IQ" they would be wise to sign George Smith to a coaching role the moment he decides to hang up the boots. Just when that will be is anyone's guess however, as he still has so much to offer on field.